How does podcasting now and possibly in the future compare to YouTube?
I like to think that I was one of the first people listening to podcasts amongst my peers. When I was a freshman in college, starting in my spring semester, I had 3 classes in a row--11 AM, 12 PM, and 1 PM. I worked from 9 AM to 11 AM. I bring this up because after my 1 PM class, I would walk a short distance to get lunch in the cafeteria. At that time, the cafeteria would close at 2, so I would have to get in before that. All the cafeteria workers new me. They were great people.
Anyways, I would be one of the few people there. I would get my food, sit down, and then use this Android phone that came with a kickstand and open up Stitcher. Through Stitcher, I would listen to my first podcasts. My very first one was the News Dissector with Danny Schechter.
I bring this up because there was no advertising on there. There was no paywall. This sounds a lot like YouTube, even Facebook, back in the day. It was such a better experience without advertisers (or at least ones done through the podcast platform--there might have been some who would do their own personal ads for products/brands they liked) or algorithms.
While I understand podcasting has become huge, I think what a lot of companies and investors have failed to realize is why they have become popular. Most people, fortunately or unfortunately, have turned away from mainstream media. A lot of people would have political reasons for this situation. However, I think that there is a deeper reason why. It is because people like longform storytelling, not just 10 second soundbites. While I am not a proponent of infotainment, I would hypothesize that years ago, journalistic media covered topics much more thoroughly and covered topics people collectively actually wanted to hear about, not because a certain demographic wanted to.
How will corporate investment affect the podcasting industry? Well, I think we all have seen what it did to YouTube and Facebook.
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1moWow, what a shake-up in the podcast world! YouTube's rise is proof that people love mixing visuals with their listening experience. But hey, there's still room for creativity—think about combining traditional storytelling with some cool visuals or even interactive elements! Apple might need to catch up if they want to stay relevant. What do you think? Are we ready for VR podcasts next? 🤔